Firing mechanism



Nv.14,1933, L NAHMETAL 1,934,731

FIRING MECHANISM Filed Nov. 50, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. WARREN. L. NAH/v1, GEORGE w BROWN.

ATTOR YS.

W. L. NAHM El' AL FIRING MECHANISM Nov. 14, 1933.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed NOV. 30, 1931 C jINVENTOR.

WARREN L. NAHM.

GEORGE FV. BROWN.

ATTORNEYS.

Patented Nov. 14, 1933V Y' mijn FIRING AIvincnfirnslu Warren Y L. Nahm, Oakland;v and George W.

. Brown,

San Francisco, Calif., assignors to f Bankers Protection Ce., San Francisco, Calif.,

a corporation of Nevada ',Application November 30, 1931 Serial No. 577,994 l l Claims.

This invention relates to a firing mechanism, such as used for firing percussion caps and the like, and particularly to a trigger actuated firing mechanism which is'silentin operation.

5 In the operation of certain types-of signalling devices, alarm d eviceaandthe like, which are set'off and ignited by meansoiapercussion cap or other ignition means, see. for instance the alarm device Ydisclosed in a cfa-pending applica-v tion entitled Security bag, Serial Number 561,980, filed September '9, 1931, itis desirable to provide a triggerV actuated iiring mechanism which is silent in operation as a delayed periodis usually desirable before thesignal or alarm is given, that is, the ring of the percussion cap ignites a timing or delay action fuse and this, in

turn, ignites an explosive Vcharge which produces' ak visible smoke signal, and an audible alarm in the form of a shot or the like. l-Ience,` as the signal or alarm is given a predetermined time period after the firing of the percussion cap, silent operation of the firing mechanism is desir'- able to eliminate any suspicion or forewarning of the coming signal or alarm.

'Ihe object 0I the presentinvention is to generally improve and simplify the construction and operation of trigger actuated firing mechanisms'.4 of the character described; to provide a trigger actuated firing mechanism which is silent in op@ eration; to provide'a combination cooking and safety device whereby the trigger maybe quickly I l .pins formed on the lever 10 which is pivotally `mounted'in the head as indicated at 11, and it and readily cocked and whereby the 1 trigger may be locked against operation; to provide a firing mechanism in which the combination.trigger` cockingY and safety deviceis key actuated so that the key may be removed when the cooking device f -is vturned to locked or ysafetyposition and thereby prevent tampering with or`release of the trigger by unauthorized persons; and further, to pro- 40 vide a trigger actuated ring mechanism inA which the tiring pin is actuated so as to apply pressure to re the percussioncap or other igni-A tion means rather than a blow.

The ring mechanism is shown by Way of illustration in the accompanying drawings in Which-f Fig. l is a side eleva-tion insection, of the security bag showing theapplication of the iirin'g. mechanism.

Fig. 2 is a perspective View of the trigger. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the cooking and safety pin. Y

Fig. 4 is a perspective View YoftheY key Whereby the cooking and safety pin is actuated.

Fig. 5 is a vertical cross .section taken online AV'l---VI of Fig. '7. Y.

Fig; 6 is a vertical cross section taken on line Fig.` 'lis an enlargedlongitudinal vertical sectional view of the firing head and a portion o f a cartridge'case attached thereto, saidview also 6g showing the trigger actuatingl mechanism Whereby the firinghead is actuated; this gure also*` shows the firing mechanism incocked position and ready for firing. Y

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. '7V but differing 65 therefrom in showing the firing mechanismr tripped and the percussion caps fired. v v

Referring to the drawings in detail andpar.- ticularly Fig. 1', A indicates a handbag having a bottom portion 2, and' end portions 3 and 4. The 70 upper portion of the bag is provided .with a pair of frames 5 whichv arepivotally connected at opf posite ends as indicated atrG to permitfthegbag to be opened and closed, the bag being further provided with handles suchas indicated at 'Ito 75 permit it to be readily carried. Formed interiorly of the bag and in one side `thereof is a .pocket generally indicated at B. This pocket forms a receptacle for a firing` head C anda cartridge case D. The lower end of the ypocket is open and so 8'0 is the registering portion ofthe bottom 2 of the bag so as to rpermit the cartridge case to be in-` serted or removed and also to permit shots andi smoke to be discharged through the bottom of the bag as will hereinafter be described. v

The ring head C'contains atrigger 9, firing further containsan actuating spring l2 and a series of links E which are tripped vby the trigger 9() 9. The rtrigger is, in this instance, operated through means of a trigger actuating mechanisml generallyV indicated Yatfli, this mechanism con- Y sisting of a pull'wire 14a having a loop 14 formed` at one end. The pull Wire is attached to a pivoted arm 15 and this isconnected With the trigger 9 through means of a Wire 16. Y The bag illustratedin Fig. 1 is known as a securitylbag and it is particularly intended for ,l

the transfer ofk money and other valuables from l one bank or place of business to another. Messengers carrying valuables are from Vtime to time stopped` or interfered with bylholdupl men andv the like fand the purpose of the invention is that combinationof protecting the messenger, and secondly, that of providing means for detecting or tracing the whereabouts of the holdup men after the bag has been taken from or surrendered by the messenger i C The messenger equipped-With a bag of this character carries the bag byjmeans of the handles 7 and one finger is inserted through theloop 14er the pull wire which actuates the trigger actuating mechanism generally indicated at'F. if the messenger'is held up his instructionsv from his employers require him to freely hand the' bag to the holdup man but, in so doing, he retains the loop 14 of the pull wire about his iinger, thus in handing the bag to the holdup man he 'actuates the trigger actuating mechanismY and this, in turn, exerts a pull on theV trigger 9. 'When this is pulled the trigger trips the firing mechanism in the firing head causing firing of thepercussion caps indicated at 17. These ignite a quick burning fuse indicated at 18 and this, in turn,

ignites time or delay fuses, such as shown at 19 and 20; the fuses 19 igniting charges of eX- plos'ive which fires a succession of shots andthe I fuses 20igniting smoke ejecting charges. I-Ience, if the'bagY is handed over to a holdup man, the trigger is released' during the transferof the bag without the holdup man beingiaware of the fact. The quick burning fuse is ignitedand this ignites the action fuses 19 andk 20, hence the holdup man will have an opportunityto get away or', at least, think that he is getting away with the .bag before he is alarmed by theZ ring of the shots land the discharge of' dense volumes oit" smoke from the bottom of the bag. In most inmessenger.

`charging.. L

-' stances it is'very'likelyj that the holdup man will' --able "to eliminate any suspicion or lforewarning of the coming signal Vor alarm as protection vto the The ring mechanism enclosed within the head KC is'designed with this objectl in view. The 15"N mechanismV consists of a lever 1) Vpivotally mounted in the headr 'C at the point'indicated at '11. Apair 'otring pins 10a'are lformed VVon' the lever and these align'with the percussionY v caps 517" so vas to bel forced'k into the heads of '-the caps when they are toV befiired."l The free end of the lever 10 uponl which the firing pins V,are formed is connected' through means of a link 25 with a triangularfshaped plate 26 pivotally,l mounted inthe vvhead'C as rat 27; the link 25'be,` v

ypivoted at its lower end.l to the lever 10 andV atitsy upper end tothe plate 26. vThis link func-V tions in a manner similar ltoa toggle vlinkas willy hereinafter be described. The triangular shaped plate 26 is in Vreality vnothing moreor less than Abell crank. It is swungV aboutits pivot 27 in one direction by means of the "spring 12 when the percussionV caps are to be red and itis swungjin the opposite direction about the pivot 27 by means of a cooking mechanism hereinafter to be described- The spring 12 is mounted within thebarrel 28; one end o the barrel isV pivotally attached to the plateY or bell crank 26 'atf' the point indicated at 29,the .other Aend of the barrel is closed as shown and a rod "30 exe tcndsthrough the closed end. One end of the."v

rod is secured by'meansof ahead member 31 in the ring head. The-opposite end oithe rodv is provided with'a nut or-head member 32 and l; the spring 12 is interposed between this head and ---'the outer closed endofthebarrel.

Hence. the

action of the spring `is that of imparting movement to `the barrel in the direction of arrow a and as the barrel is pivotally connected to the bell crank 26, this will tend to swing about the vpivot V27 in the direction of arrow b.

YThe position assumed by the iiring mecha nism prior to the ring of the percussion cap 17 vis shown in Fig. 7. In this position link 25 assumes a slightly angular position but when the.

ring mechanism is tripped by the trigger 9 the bell crank 26 is Vswung in the direction of arrow b through means of thervspring 12. bell crank assumes the position shown in Fig. 8,

position and movement is thus transmitted to When the the link 25 will assume a substantially vertical the free end of the lever 10 causing this to swingA about the pivot 11Y in a downward direction thereby forcingrthe firing pins lainto the head ends of the percussion'caps 17 and firing the same.

It was previously stated that the link 25 functioned as a toggle link. This is due to the fact' that in conjunction with the bell crank 26 it has a motion similarto a toggle'link furither, because its'movement is very slight and the pressure exerted gradually increases in an end-1 wise or downward direction. 'Suchamovement' is exceedingly ldesirable in a structure of this' character where silent 'operation` is required as'V itexerts a quick ,downward pressureonthelever 10 Vwhich forces the ring pins into the percus'- sion caps, this movement being by far the more desirable when comparison is 'made with a hammerk or the like, which produces a striking blowA ratherthan pressure action such as here illus-L trated. The striking Y hammer is'bound to make ajclicking noise which can be heard while the f quick downward pressure exerted in'this instance is noiseless. The action of the spring 12 is also noiselessas it is completely enclosed Within the barrel.

The cooking and tripping mechanism vem-Y bodies the trigger 9, a link 35, and a second trie."

angular shaped plate 36. The link 3 5 is pivotally'attached at its lower end to a pin extending "i through the firing head C. The upper end of the link is pivotally attached to the triangular plate 36 as'- indicated at 37 and the plate 37 is n turn pivotally attached as at 38 to the triangle shaped plate or bell'crank 26.

The triggerl 9 is' best'illustrated in Figs. 2,A

face'of thepin is cut away, as indicated at 4l,

to form a carri surface and this surface is adapte' Hand 8.- t is secured on a shaft or pine?) which is pivotallymounted in the head member C. One' ed rto engage a projection ornger 42 formed' on the triangular plate 36.

mechanism assumesv the When the. ring cocked position shown in Fig. 7, it should be noted that the pivotal connection 37 between the link 35-and the triangular plate 36 assumes Va drawn through the pivots 38 and 35a. In this position finger 42 engages thecain face 41 0i' 'the trigger pinjbutif the trigger is swung in the direction of arrow c by means oi" the pullY position slightly to one side of a center line;

wire v 16 lthe cam 41,will engage the nger and",v impart a rocking movement to the triangular plate in the` direction of arrow d. In so doing,

V*the pivotal connection 37 swings to the otherY side of the center line and the mechanism is then Vtripped as the pull of the spring 12`vvill swing thev bell crank 26in the direction of arrow b and consequently swing the link 35 and triangular plate 36 in the direction of arrow d, thus causingthem to assume the position shown in Fig. 8.

In -this position the 'ring mechanism is completely tripped and the vpercussion caps will have n beenl red, as the firing pins a are forced or driven into the ends of the caps.

*In order that the firing mechanism may be quickly and readily cocked or reset after firing,

a pin 59 is employed. This pin is best'shown in"y A Figs. 3, 7 and 8. rlhe pin" is journalledinvthe if; head member C. A portion of it is cut away, as

indicated at 51, to form a cam surface. One end of the-pin is provided with a tongue 52 and this is adapted to be engaged by the slotted end 53' ,Ag of a key member which consists of apin 54 and 1r head 55,'see Figs. 4 and 5. The key is insertable through an opening formed in the side of the head member and when inserted the slotted end 53 engages the`tongue 52 formed on the end'of h the pin 59. ByA turning the head 55 of the key,

and if it assumes the position shown in Fig. 8, lthe c am surface 51 will engage the link 35 and swing it' irom'theposition shown in Fig. 8'to the po- Msition shown in Fig'. '7. During this movement 1f-'l the ring mechanism is resetor cocked.

The pin 59 forms two main functions, rst, that of a cocking member to reset the ring mechanism, and secondly, that of a lock or a r .safety member to prevent tripping of the iiring gjmechanism'when desired. If the pin 50, after rotation,l is left so that the cam member 5l en,- gages with the link 35, as shown by dotted lines at 51a, in Fig. 7, the link 35 will vbe locked or held Hagainst movement in the direction of arrow d, iihence locking the trigger 9 and the link' 35 against operation. On the other hand, if it is desired to place the firing mechanism in readiness to beiired, pin '50' is rotated a half revolution, so that the cam 5l will assume the posi- 'ction shown in full lines in Fig. '7. In this position the trigger is operable and thefiring mechanism may accordingly be tripped "whenever desired.

In order that the pin 59Y shall be retained in either the locking or the released position, flat surfaces, such as shown at 56, are formed on op-V posite sides of the pin. rIhese are engaged by the spring detent, as indicated at 5'7, and the pin 50 is thus retained against accidental rota-Y :ion when either position is assumed. The key as shown in Fig. 4, is also'retained in the ring head against accidental removal. This is accomplished by forming an annular groove 58 in the pin into which a pin 59 projects. A straight slot 551i 50 communicates with the annular groove 58, and when this is turned into register with the pin 59 the key may be removed. The head of the key is provided with two flat surfaces; on one surface is printed the word re`and on the @'eether surface is printed the word safe. The straight slot 6G will only register with the pin 59 when the key is turned to safe position; hence it is only in this position that the key may be removed.

The cartridge containing the explosive and smoke producing charge, and the percussion caps 1'7,` may be secured to the head member C in'any suitable manner, for instance, by screws such as shown at .79 in Fig. 6. The head member C will,

under ordinary conditions, be permanently secured in the security bag and the cartridge case may accordingly be released or secured with relation to the head as desired.

From the foregoing, it will be noted that a fir# A mg mechanism has been provided which is silent turning movement is transmitted to the p in 50,

' movement is imparted tothe toggle link in the in operation; firing mechanism hasbeen provided which can be quickly cocked or reset when desired; a iiring mechanism has been provided Ywhich may be locked against `operation and key actuated means are employed for actuating the locking or safety mechanism, said key` when removed preventing tampering or release of the'trigger-mechanism by unauthorized in*-v dividuals. Y 'While certain features of the present invention are more or less specifically described, we wish it understood that various changes may'be resorted to within `the scope of the `appended claims. Similarly, that vthe materialsand finish of the several partsemployed may besuch as the manufacturer may decide,or varying con- 1 ditions or uses may demand; Having thus described our invention, whatwe claim and desire tosecure 'oy Letters Patent 1s- Y i l. A firing mechanism comprising' a housing, a ring pin mounted in the housing, spring means and links connecting 'said spring means and nr ing pin whereby la gradually increasing presek sure is applied to the pinwhile imparting end# wise movement thereto'. 2. A ring mechanism comprising a housing, a iiring pin Vmounted in the housing, a toggle link connected with vthegpin whereby movement is imparted'thereto, spring actuated means whereby movement is imparted tothe toggle linkin one direction, manually actuated means whereby movement is imparted to the toggle link-in the opposite direction; trigger actuated means for releasing the toggle link to permitit to be actu-- ated'by the spring, and key actuated means for locking'the trigger and toggle against movement. i 3.A firing mechanism comprising a housing,

a firing'pin mounted inthe housing, a toggle link'115 connected with the pin whereby movement is imf parted'thereto, spring actuated means whereby vmovement is imparted tothe toggle link in one direction, manually actuated means whereby opposite direction, trigger actuated means for releasing the toggle link to permit vitto be actuated by the springgand key actuated means for locking-the toggle link against movement. i

4. A firing mechanism comprising a housing, a firing pin mounted in theA housing, a toggle link connected with the pin whereby movement is imparted thereto, spring actuated meansiwhereby movement is imparted to the toggle link in one direction, manually actuated means whereby movement is imparted tothe toggle link inthe opposite direction, trigger actuated means for releasing the toggle link to permit it to be actuated by thespring, and key actuated means for locking the trigger against movement.

5. A ring mechanism comprising a housing, a firing pin mounted in the housing, a toggle linky pivotally connected with the pin, a spring connected with the toggle link and exerting a pull toswing the toggle link in a direction which will move the ring pin to firing position, manually actuated means whereby reverse movement is transmitted to the toggle link to reset the firing pin, said means also adaptedto lock the toggle link and ring pin against movement, and means or releasing the toggle linkto permit the spring to actuate the same. y

6. A firing mechanism comprising a housing, a iiring pin mounted in the housing, a toggle link pivotally connect! d with the pin, a spring connected with the toggle link and exerting a pull t0 swing the toggle link in a direction which will move the ringpin to ring position, Vmanually actuated means whereby reverse movement is transmitted to the toggle link to reset theiiring pin, said means also adapted to lock the toggle link and ring pin against movement, and trig-, ger actuated means for releasing Vthe'toggle link to permit the spring to actuate the same when' the manual means has been actuated to Vrelease the toggle link.

7. A ring mechanismcomprising a housing, a

lever pivotally mounted at one end "inthe hous- Y ing, a ring pin on the free end of the lever, a bell crank pivotally mounted in the housing adjacentthe free end of the lever, a'spring connectedwith one arm of the bell crank,.a link forming Ya pivotal "connection between the arm of the bell crank and the free end of the lever, said link together with the bell crank arm forming a toggle link, a pair ,of pivotally connected links, oneof said links being pivotally connected to the otherarm of the bell crank, said link having a nger projectionAV formed thereon, a pivoted connection between Lit-he other link and the housing, and a trigger en' gageable with the linger projection.

8. A ring mechanism comprising a housing,4

a lever pivotally mounted at one yend in the housing, a firing pin on the free endof the lever, a 1iell crank pivotally moimte'd in the housing adjacent the free end of the lever, a spring connected with one arm of the bell crank, a link forming a pivotal connection between the arm of the bell crank and the free end of the lever, said ;link together with the bell crankV arm forming toggle link, a pair of pivotally connected links, one of said links being pivotally connected to the other arm of the bell crank, said link having aI finger projection formed thereon, a pivotedconjjiectionv between the other linkfand the housing,

a triggerengageable with the finger projection,r

and a combination cooking and safety pin engageable with the last named pair of links.

9. A ring mechanism comprisingfa housing, lever pivotally blunted at one end in the housing, a firing pin on the free end of the lever, a bell crank pivotally mounted in thehousing adjacent the free end ofthe lever, a spring connected with one arm of the bell crank, a link forming a pivotal connection between the armof the bell crank Vand the free end of the lever, said link together .with the bell crank arm forming a toggle link, a pair of pivotally connected links,

one of said links being pivotally connected to the other arm of the bell crank, said link having a.

nger projection formed thereon, a pivoted con-,`

nection between the-other link and the housing, a trigger` engageable with the nger projection, and a key whereby thecombination cooking and safety pin lis actuated.

l0. In a ydevice of the character described, a. rirng pin, a pair fof pivoted links normally disposed at an angle to each other, one end of one of said links engaging said ring pin, and means for urging said links toward a position of alignment to move the firing pin.

11. In a device of the `character described, a

housing, a ring pin in the housing, a normally bent toggle joint connecting the housing and liring pin, andjmeans for urging the toggle jointV toward a straight position to kmove the firing pin' relative to the housingvandY in airing direction.v

l". A device of the character described comprishousing, a iiring pin in the housing, a link pivoted to the housing, a link pivoted'to the tiringY pin,a pivotal connection between said links, said,v

three pivots normally being out of alignment', and means for urging said pivots toward a position of alignment to move the firing pin. v

13. A firing mechanism comprising a housing;`

a ring pin therein, a toggle link connected to the firing pin, a spring engaging the toggle link and normally urging it to impart firing movement to said iiring pin, means retaining the toggle link Yagainst movement by the spring, andtrigger and normally'urging it to impart firing move-, ment to said firing pin, means retaining the tog- Y gle link against movement by the spring, trigger means for releasing said retaining means, and key actuated means for locking said trigger means against'releasing movement.

. WARREN L. NAHM.

GEORGE W. BROWN. 

